Even for a volcanic island accustomed to the occasional tremor, this has been an unusual week for Iceland.
According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, around 17,000 earthquakes have hit the south-western region of Reykjanes over the past week.
The largest quake, a magnitude 5.6 on the Richter scale, occurred on the morning of February 24.
READ MORE: Sharks found living in active volcano is one of the world's enduring ocean mysteries
It was the loudest in a swarm that continues to rattle residents in the nearby capital city of Reykjavík and the municipalities around it, where two-thirds of the Icelandic population lives.
Two larger earthquakes - more than magnitude 5.0 - also hit last Saturday and on Monday.
The quakes have caused little damage so far, though Iceland's Road and Coastal Administration has reported small cracks in roads in the area and rockfalls on steep slopes near the epicentre of the swarm.
"I have experienced earthquakes before but never so many in a row," Reykjavik resident Auður Alfa Ólafsdóttir said.
"It is very unusual to feel the Earth shake 24 hours a day for a whole week. It makes you feel very small and powerless against nature."
In the fishing town of Grindavík, locals have had a front-row seat to the tremors.
"I've not experienced anything like this before," said Páll Valur Björnsson, who teaches at the local College of Fisheries and sits as a deputy member of Parliament.
"We are used to it; it started one year ago. But it is much more now - very unsettling. I'm not afraid but this is uncomfortable. I woke up twice last night because of [tremors].
"There was a very big one when I went to sleep, and I woke up with one. It is difficult but you have to learn to live with it."
https://twitter.com/Vedurstofan/status/1367194087124856838?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIceland sits on a tectonic plate boundary that continually splits apart, pushing North America and Eurasia away from each other along the line of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Most seismic activity here is only picked up by sensitive scientific equipment. Occasional stronger tremors are an inevitable part of living in an active seismic region.
Only this time, there seems to be no end to the rumble under the ground.
Þorvaldur Þórðarson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, said concerns over the recent activity are understandable.
READ MORE: Earthquake interrupts Iceland Prime Minister's Interview
"Of course it worries people," he said.
"For this region, this is actually fairly unusual, not because of the type of earthquakes or their intensity, but for their duration. It's been going for more than a week now.
"We are battling with the 'why' at the moment. Why is this happening?
"It is very likely that we have an intrusion of magma into the [Earth's] crust there.
"It has definitely moved closer to the surface, but we are trying to figure out if it's moving even closer to it."
With multiple volcanoes in the area, local officials have warned that an eruption could be imminent.
Elísabet Pálmadóttir, specialist in natural hazards at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told CNN that authorities are deploying surveillance equipment in the area, from GPS and earthquake monitors to web cameras and gas detectors.
No towns appear to be at risk from lava flows in the event of a volcanic eruption, according to the latest modeling by the University of Iceland's Volcanology and Natural Hazard Group, which released maps of potential flows today.
READ MORE: Photos taken 30 years apart show dramatic retreat of Iceland glacier
The spectre of a major eruption recalls the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010, which caused one of the world's largest air-traffic shutdowns since World War II.
But Ms Pálmadóttir says a similar ash plume would be unlikely in the current situation.
On Wednesday afternoon, a tremor close to the Keilir volcano, just 30km south of the capital, prompted authorities to ban traffic in the area.
On its webpage, the Icelandic MET Office says similar activity has previously preceded eruptions.
Víðir Reynisson, Chief Superintendent at Iceland's Department for Civil Protection and Emergency Management, told a news conference today that an eruption was "more likely than not" within the next few hours. It would be the first in the area since the 12th century.
from 9News https://ift.tt/2OjfX7t
via IFTTT
0 Comments